State Lawmakers Meeting Today to Discuss How Unions Can Be Formed

Phoenix, AZ – State lawmakers are meeting this afternoon over questions of howunions can be formed. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischerreports.

Under current federal law it takes an election by secret ballotto form a union. But a measure being considered by Congress wouldallow a union to be set up if more than half the affected workerssign cards saying that's what they want. Business interests areopposed to the system, known as card check. But with Congress inDemocratic hands, they have instead turned their attention togetting voters here to amend the constitution to say unions canbe formed only by secret ballot. Attorney Clint Bolick of theGoldwater Institute explains the push.

(With card check, it allows coercion by union organizers andtherefore increases the odds that a union would be formed whereit would not be formed if it were put to a secret ballot.)

Rebecca Friend of the AFL-CIO conceded that point. But she saidit's not that simple.

(What card check would do is eliminate the employer harassment ofworkers who want to form unions, which we have studies over andover that document in most union elections the employers usetactics that sometimes are not legal, certainly questionable, topressure employees to vote against the unions.

If approved by lawmakers the measure would go on the ballot asProposition 113. For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.